Watch Match TV Live Stream – Online Russian TV Channel Free

Match TV is a Russian public sports channel, which began broadcasting on November 1, 2015. The channel was created by the order of Russian president Vladimir Putin, with the assistance of the editorial office of Gazprom-Media Holding, technical assistance of ANO Sports Broadcasting (Panorama’s brand) and the frequency of Russia-2 (VGTRK).

The general producer of the channel is Tina Kandelaki.

Russian state-backed broadcasters Channel One and Match TV have confirmed they will show coverage from the 2018 winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang.

In a statement reported by the RIA Novosti news agency, Channel One said it will broadcast Pyeongchang 2018, but focus on participating Russian athletes.

The Games will run from February 9-25 and Channel One said its initial coverage over the first three days will consist of figure skating, cross-country skiing, speed skating, curling and biathlon.

Meanwhile, Match TV’s general producer Tina Kandelaki, has said the sports broadcaster will cover the opening ceremony from Pyeongchang.

She wrote on Twitter: “Match TV will show the opening ceremony for the Olympics. Watch the program schedule. We must support the Russian athletes who go there to defend the country’s honour in conditions of an unprecedented psychological pressure.”

Pyotr Makarenko, president of the Telesport agency, said last month that Channel One and Match TV would cover the Games, along with fellow state-controlled broadcaster VGTRK.

Telesport has rights in Russia to the Olympics from 2018 to 2024. Russia was the only European territory excluded from media group Discovery Communication’s 50-territory deal for Olympic Games rights across Europe from 2018 to 2024.

The Russian Olympic Committee last week announced a 169-strong team for the 2018 Games, but admitted the list could be reduced amid the possibility of further sanctions due to the country’s doping scandal and athletes potentially choosing to boycott the Games as a gesture of “solidarity”.

In December, the International Olympic Committee moved to ban Russia from competing at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang after finding evidence of an “unprecedented systematic manipulation” of doping results surrounding the 2014 Games in Sochi.

The sanctions imposed have seen Russia’s team reduced by 46 bans for doping offences at Sochi 2014, while the IOC has refused to invite dozens more athletes, citing new evidence of alleged drug use. The Russian team will compete under the ‘Olympic Athletes from Russia’ banner in Pyeongchang, using kit without national branding. The Russian anthem and flag will also not be used during medal ceremonies.

Russia’s team is still set to be one of the biggest at next month’s Games. The team named by the ROC includes star names like ice hockey players Ilya Kovalchuk and Pavel Datsyuk, along with the world figure skating champion Evgenia Medvedeva (pictured).